clinton



v(No Model.) '1

T. J. CLINTON 8v D. AGROPF. MACHINE `FOR SGRAPING AND SPLITTING RATTAN.

No. 3981,39. Pgntedov. 18. 1884.

2 sheets-sheet 1.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. A T T .A PR MMG Rm Gm AL .W Dm &A G wm P MA I R .0 LS CR .O TUF .E TmH HU A M (No Model.)

ANo. 808,139. Patentsd Nov:` 18, 1884.

llN-rrnn Srafrns THOMAS J. CLINTON AND DONALD AGROFF, OF WOODSTOCK,ONTARIO,

. CANADA.

lMACHINE FOR SCRAPING AND SPLITTlNG RATTAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,139, dated November18, 1884-.

Application filed November 21, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS J. CLINTON and DONALD AGROFF, of Voodstock,in the county of Oxford and Province of Ontario,

Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rattan Scraping andSplitting Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings,which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in theconstruction of machines designed for squaring the ends of rattan orcane, and for scraping and splitting the same preparatory to its use inthe manufacture of the many articles which are constructed principallyfrom the pith and strands of rattan.

To that end the invention consists, first, in the peculiar constructionof devices for squaring the ends of the cane before it is passed to theother operating parts of the device; second, in the peculiarconstruction and arrange- 2 5 ment of the scraping-knives and devicesfor feedingthe cane thereto, such construction being entirely automaticin its operations; third, -in the peculiar construction and arrangementof the splitting-knife, whereby the shell of the cane is separated intostrands of equal widths from the pith, and in the peculiar meansemployed for giving both vertical andlateral adjustment to these knives;and, fourth, in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and variouscombinations of the parts, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure l is a top plan of our improvedmachine. Fig. 2 isa side elevationof the same. Fig. 3 is au elevation of the scraper, showing devices forautomatically operatin g theknives, the device being in the positionshown to receive the cane. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation, partially insection, showing the devices for automatically controlling the knives,said devices being shown in their relative positions during operation.Fig. 5 is a central crosssection on the line X X in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is anend view of the pith-catcher. Fig. 7 is an l elevation of thespring-guide. Fig. Sis a de- 5o taohed perspective of cane-splitter andattachmcnts.

In the accompanying drawings, A repre sents a suitable frame whichcarries the operating parts of our machine. At the front end of thisframe, and near one side thereof, is 5 5 properly journaled in boxes thehorizontal shaft B,which derives motion from intermesh-r ing gears withany convenient shaft of the machine. The forward end of this shaftcarries a rotating cutter-head, C, the knives of which 6o come in closeproximity to the inner face of the front gear of the frame, throughwhich latter is placed a mouth-piece, B', through which, in theoperation of the machine, the end of the cane to be operated uponisinserted, so v that therotating cutter-head cuts off square that end ofthe cane.

D are vertical shafts, the upper ends of which are designed to yieldagainst the pressure of a spring-box, as shown in dotted outlines at the7o right-hand or front end of the machine in Fig.

l, and upon the upper ends of these vertical shafts are secured thefeed-rolls E, around the periphery of each of which is formeda small andalarge grooved channel. The lower ends of these shaft-s D are stepped inthimbles F, each of which Acarries or is provided with anadjusting-screw, c, in its lower end, and by means of which the shaftsare raised or lowered in order to adjust the feed-rollers to the properplane. Motion is communicated to these shafts D by means of a chain ofintermeshing gears, G, receiving their initiatory movement or motionfrom a gear upon the main shaft H, which in turn receives its mo- S5tion from any suitable power.

I represents the scraper-head, which carries the scraper-knives b. Theseknives are arranged in sufficient numbers to entirely sur- V round thecentral feedway through the scraper- 9o head, and they are arranged inpairs, in each of which one knifefis opposite the other, so that allportions of the circumference of the knot or joint of,"the cane whichneed to be scraped olf are operated upon. These knives Yare properlysecured in supporting-blocks c,

which are arranged to slide laterally and radially in recesses in theface of the scraperhead. The rear ends of these blocks terminate inhollow tangs or arms d, within which I 3o is placed a coil-spring, e,Figs. 3 and 5, the tension of which is adjusted or regulated by anadjusting-screw, f, the function of such [in that class of machinery.The knife S is spring being to compel the knives to come in contact withthe cane as it passes through the scraper-head, and the radial slidingmove ment or opening of the knives is necessary in order that the end ofthe cane may enter between them, and this opening of the knives weperform automatically by the means and devices which we will now proceedto describe.

J is a bottom plate of the scraper-head, which is rigidly securedthereto by proper bolts, and is provided with radial slots g, throughwhich bolts h pass and engage with the bottom of the spring-blocks c.Between this bottom plate, J, and the scraper-head I, the latter ofwhich is recessed upon the back to receive it,we place a wheel or plate,K, the periphery of which is formed into a series of cams, t'. Thiswheel K is provided with an arm, j, which projects beyond the edge ofthe scraper-head and engages with a' worm, L, upon the upper end oftheshaft M, the lower end of which is journaled in the same manner as thelower ends of the shafts D, while the upper end is journaled in aspring-boX, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to compel at all times anengagement between the arms j and the worm L, excepting as hereinafterdescribed.

In the rear face of the bottom plate, J, of the scraper-head we properlysecure the tripping device or block N, which consists of a circular ortwo semicircular blocks,` one of which has secured to it the bar O,which is regulated by the adjusting-screw 7c, while to the other half ofthe tripping-block we secure a bar, P, the end of which projects beyondthe edge of the scraper-head, and is provided with an arm, l, which isdesigned to come in contact with the upper end of the shaft M, ashereinafter described. The front end of the trippingblock N is recessedat m, Fig; 5.

Q are guide-plates placed between the feedrolls, as shown, each platebeing provided with an upwardly projecting standard, through which issecured a guide-tube, n, in the longitudinal direction of the machine.

R R are adjustable spring-guides placed, respectively, in front of thescraper-head and splitter-knife. These guides are constructed in twoparts, each part consisting of the elbow guide-levers R", (shown in Fig.7 having their vertical arms pivotally secured to the plate R, which inturn is rigidly secured to the bed of the machine. The tension of theseguide levers is regulated by coil-springs o around the adjusting-boltsR, Fig. 7, which pass through the free ends of the same, the tension ofsuch springs being designed to keep the free or meeting faces of theguide-clamp against the cane as it passes through the machine.

S represents the stripping device and sides of a cylinder-knife, havingradial knives projecting therefrom, and is substantially the same as theknife used for a similar purpose supported upon a block, p, the lowerface of which is provided with a dovetailed recess, s, which slips overthe dovetail r upon the upper face of the screw T, which is threaded inthe cup T, a bolt, T, passing through the bottom of such cup from thescrew T, and through the bed of the machine, receiving a nut, T, uponits lower end, which locks the various devices to their adjustedpositions.

In the dovetailed recess in the under face of the block p is a dependinglug, s, through which a thumb-screw is threaded, such screw passingthrough one end of the hollow dovetail r, so that when the parts aretogether, as shown in Fig. 2, the splitting-knife may be adjustedlaterally across the machine, as may be desired. When a verticaladjustment is desired,the nut upon the lower end of the bolt T isloosened,when theknife or splitting device S is held with one hand,while the sleeve T is turned so as to raise or lower the splittingdevice, as circumstances may require.

At the rear end of the machine, and at the right hand thereof, wepivotally secure a lever, V, one end of which is connected by an arm tothe shaft of the rear right-hand guide-roll, `while the opposite end issecured by means of a ball-and-socket joint to a pawl, W, which engageswith a ratchet, X, upon the shaft of the pith-catcher Y, which isproperly journaled upon' the shaft at the rear of the machine, and in aline with the guides, such pithcatcher being composed of a corrugatedcylindeiybeneath which is located' a bracket or brackets, which catchall pith as it is discharged from this cylinder, the parts being soarranged that as the cane passes through the machine it enters betweenthe two rollers at the rear of the machine. The right-hand roller isnecessarily forced outward, which causes the pawl W to push orpartiallyrotate the ratchet X and the pith catcher, so that one of thecorrugations will come directly opposite the discharge end of themachine, into which the pith passes, between it and the bed-bar Z, whichsupports the brackets, and after it has so passed the guide-wheel againresumes its original position until it is again forced outward by thesucceeding pith, which causes the pith-catcher to again partiallyrotate, and so on, presenting a new corrugation ofthe pithroller at eachoperation, and as the pithcatcher continues in its rotation the pithdrops out of the corrugations into the brackets hereinbefore described.

In practice, after the ends of the cane have been squared ott' by therotating cutter C, the end of the cane is fed into the mouth of thefeed-tube Y until it is grasped by the first series of groovedfeed-rolls E, from whence it is fed by them into the tube nA of theguide Q, thence between the next pair of feed-rolls and through betweenthe guides R, the spring o of which is so arranged as to clamp orembrace the cane and feed or direct the end of the cane IOO IIO

into the scraper-head -between the knives bl As the end of the canecomes in contact with the trip Nit forces the two halves of such tripapart, the bar O yielding slightly against the set-screw k and inclosedspring, while the bar P yields or slides outwardly until its arm Z comesin contact with the head of the shaft L and pushes the same into theposition shown in Fig. 4t from that shown in Fig. 3, in which positionthe arrn j of the wheel K is disengaged from the worm L, when the actionof the springs c of the knife-blocks causes the knives to yclosesufficiently close together so as to scrape oft and remove the knots orjoints of the cane as it continues to pass through, while at the sametime the wheel K is, bythe action of the'pins h sliding upon the camsfi, partially rotated, so that while the cane is passing through thescraper the arm and wheel assume the position showJn in Fig. 4.. As soonas the cane passes entirely through the scraperhead and trip N, then thespring-box. M of the shaft M causes such shaft to assume the positionshown in Fig. 3, the end of the arm 2 5 j engaging with the lowerportion of the worm L upon such shaft, which is continually revolving.The arm 7' travels up the worm until it passes through the gate w ofsuch worin, when, in the continued rotationl of the shaft and worm, thearm rests upon the top of the worm. This action of parts causes thewheel K to partially rotate, and compels the pins h to slide up the cams'i and retract the scraperknives, holding them in this position untilanother cane is inserted and disengages the arms j from the worm L, asherein just described. By this construction and arrangement of parts itwill be seen that the scraperknives are open at all times exceptingduring the period that a cane is passing through the scraper-head, andthat they are advanced and retracted automatically and by the insertionand passage of the cane through the machine. From the scraper-head thecane passes through between the series of feed-rolls E and guides to therear guide, It', which directs the cane centrally to the knife S, thepith passing 'through theknife and through the tubular guide r at theend thereof, to and between the rear sets of guide-wheels and guides,from whence it is discharged froin the machine into the pith-catcher,while the strands which are stripped or cut from the exterior of thecane pass into the upwardly-curved guide y, formed by the block p, andare thrown from themachine.

By having the feed-rolls E provided with a large and a small groove, andthrough the medium of the adjustments provided for the shafts D,`it canreadily be seen that the feedrolls can be raised or lowered to suit thesize of cane to be operated upon.

It will be observed that the stripping-knife can also be accuratelyadjusted vertically and laterally, so that the cane must necessarily becentrally presented to theaction of the knife as it leaves the guidesIt.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In a rattan scraping and splittingmachine, and as a means for automatically opening and closing theknivesof the scraper-head, the combination of the head I, plate J, betweenwhich is placed the wheel K, the periphery of which is provided with anarm, j, and a series of camsJ', the latter being adapted to actuatetheknifc-blocks c, with the worm L upon the yielding shaft M, and anysuitable automatic tripping device, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. As ameans for automatically opening and closing the scraper-knives,the combination of 8o the scraper-head I, provided with the yieldingblocks c, carrying the knives b,-camwheel K, arranged between the head Iand plate J, and provided with the arm j, pins h, rigidly secured to theblocks c, and the tripping device N, secured to the bottom plate, andcarrying the arm Z, with the worm L, carried by the yielding shaft M,spring-box M', and springs e, all arranged and operating substantiallyas set forth.

3. In a rattan scraping and splitting Inaehine, and as a means forvertically adjusting the stripping-knife, the combination of the blockp, carrying the splitting-knife S', with the screw T, cup T, bolt T2,and nut T3, ar-

ranged as specified, whereby the said knife is vertically adjustable,substantially as described. j

1i. In a rattan scraping and splitting machine, the combination of theblock p, having the dovetailed recess s and depending lugs, hollowdovetail 1, and adjusting-screw u, arranged as described,1 whereby alateral adjustment is given to the stripping-knife, substantially as setforth.

5. An improved guide in a rattan scraping and splitting machine,consisting of the elbow guide-levers Rf, having their vertical armspivotally secured to the bed-plate R2 and their free ends under tension,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

THOMAS J. CLINTON. DONALD AGROFF. Witnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, E. SCULLY.

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